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Largest Pistachio Crop in History Gets New $55 Million Campaign with
Big Talent, Including Commercials Starring Seattle Seahawks Cornerback
Richard Sherman Alongside Ernie the Elephant, Voiced by Cena

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today Wonderful Pistachios, known for its iconic “Get Crackin’” ads,
launched its biggest “Get Crackin’” advertising campaign ever, investing
$55 million to support the largest pistachio crop in history. The
irreverent and comedic commercials feature a really big
star—literally—with the introduction of Ernie the Elephant. This
pistachio-loving, health-conscious, somewhat bold, always hilarious,
computer-generated spokes-elephant refuses to work for peanuts and is
voiced by WWE Superstar John Cena (“Trainwreck,” Fox’s “American Grit”).

“Ernie and I are alike in many ways,” said Cena. “We’re both fun-loving
guys, confident in our choices. I’m excited to join Wonderful
Pistachios’s popular ‘Get Crackin’’ campaign by bringing to life its
newest character, Ernie the Elephant, whose favorite food is Wonderful
Pistachios. Whether you’re in the ring, on the go, at work, or hanging
out with friends, Wonderful Pistachios is a fun, healthy snack that’s a
good source of protein and fiber, and a strong foundation for good
nutritional choices.”

Ernie the Elephant makes his debut in two commercials, which air during
tonight’s “Monday Night Football,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Late
Show with Stephen Colbert,” and more. In one spot, Ernie attends a
baseball game, touting Wonderful Pistachios as a superior snack to those
tired old peanuts sold at the stadium. Another features Ernie as “the
elephant in the room”—or elevator—talking up pistachios, while his
tons-of-fun personality tests the elevator’s weight sensors. In the
coming months, eight more commercials will air and pistachio lovers will
witness Ernie’s unique take on elephant stereotypes, supermarket
shopping, working out, lady squirrels and airport travel.

Later this football season, two more spots feature Seattle Seahawks
cornerback Richard Sherman schooling Ernie with his best defensive
moves—and his famous trash talk—both on and off the field. As one of the
smartest players in football, Sherman not only matches wits with Ernie
in the “Get Crackin’” campaign, he demonstrates Wonderful Pistachios’s
commitment to healthy eating through a series of “Snack Smarter” digital
videos, educating football fans on the nutritional benefits of Wonderful
Pistachios compared to other unhealthy salty snacks, such as nachos and
crackers.

“Ernie and I know that choosing Wonderful Pistachios as your game-day
snack is sure to score big at home,” said Sherman. “And we encourage
fans to trade in their salty snacks for something new this season. To
snack smarter, fans should crack open Wonderful Pistachios, a natural,
guilt-free option that’s one of the lowest-calorie and highest protein
nuts.”

The newest evolution of the “Get Crackin’” campaign was created by
Wonderful Pistachios’s in-house creative team, Wonderful Agency. Ernie
was animated by Moving Picture Company (MPC), the Academy Award-winning
global creative studio behind VFX for Disney’s recent hit film “The
Jungle Book.” The campaign will be amplified by print and outdoor
advertising, in-store POS, a large-scale digital and social media
campaign, and public relations. In addition, Wonderful Pistachios and
their new spokes-elephant Ernie are committed to elephant conservation
and will soon announce how they will join the herd in protecting the
future of elephants worldwide.

“Stephen Colbert has moved on. Ernie the Elephant has moved in,” said
Michael Perdigao, president, Wonderful Agency. “Our “Get Crackin’”
campaign has featured some of Hollywood’s hottest talent: Snoop Dogg,
Khloé Kardashian and even Miss Piggy. This year we’re going back to the
animal kingdom with Ernie the Elephant who’s bringing along some
top-name talent of his own with WWE Superstar John Cena as his voice and
the NFL’s best cornerback, Richard Sherman, as one of his best buds.
We’ve got tons of pistachios to sell this year and a multi-ton elephant
to help us do it!”

Adam Cooper, vice president of marketing, Wonderful Pistachios, added,
“The industry is harvesting a record-setting 800 million pounds of
pistachios this season, so it’s time to go big or go home! It’s only
natural we go big in every way—a big new “Get Crackin’” campaign, with
our biggest star, Ernie the Elephant. People love snacking—in fact,
snacking makes up half of all eating occasions in America—so our goal is
to make healthy Wonderful Pistachios even more accessible to everyone.
Ernie will help drive awareness and remind pistachio fans to “Get
Crackin’” every day and on every snack occasion.”

Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is the world’s largest vertically
integrated pistachio and almond grower and processor. Located in
California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds
owns, cultivates and harvests more than 65,000 acres of pistachio and
almond orchards. Our world-class operation supplies both industrial and
retail customers, offering high-quality, consistent supply and adherence
to rigorous food safety standards. Our nuts can be found in stores
nationwide under the flagship retail brands of Wonderful Pistachios® and
Wonderful Almonds®.

Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is part of The Wonderful Company, a
successful, fast-growing privately held $4 billion company with 7,800
employees worldwide. Our success goes beyond Wonderful Pistachios. We’ve
turned pomegranates and POM Wonderful into a worldwide phenomenon.
Wonderful Halos is the No. 1 mandarin orange in America. FIJI Water is
the No. 1 premium bottled water in America. JUSTIN Wine produces
California’s top-selling Cabernet Sauvignon and, in 2015, JUSTIN was
named “American Winery of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
And Teleflora is the world’s largest floral delivery service.

The Wonderful Company has a long-standing commitment to corporate social
responsibility, including more than $120 million invested in
environmental technologies and sustainability research, $45 million in
philanthropic giving and education initiatives every year, $30 million
toward the construction of a new charter school campus in California’s
Central Valley, and innovative health and wellness programs, including
two new, free primary care clinics for employees and their families.